Can.



No. 766,566. PATENTED AUG. 2, 1904. G. C. WITT.

CAN.

APPLICATION FILED 0013.20, 1903.

N0 MODEL.

WI PNESSES INVENTOR I ifi m 17 Wm Allorney UNITED STATES Patented August 2, 1904.

PATENT OFFICE.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 766,566, dated August 2, 1904.

Application filed October 20, 1903.

To all whom it nuty concern.-

Be it known that I, GEORGE C. \VITT, aresident of Cincinnati, in the county of Hamilton and State of Ohio, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Cans; and I do hereby declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description of the invention, such as will enable others skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use the same.

My invention relates to improvements in cans, and more particularly to such as are intended for use in packing condensed milk and other materials for domestic use, one object of the invention being to construct a can for the purpose stated in such manner that a portion of the contents can be removed without disturbing another portion. and thus enable the packer to put up goods in comparatively large quantities and at the same time permit the consumer to use a portion of the contents of the can and leave the remaining portion tightly sealed.

A further object is to so construct a can having a series of air-tight compartments that it can be manufactured at a cost which will but slightly exceed the cost of a can having a single compartment.

A further object is to construct a can having two compartments in such manner that a single seam will be employed to secure the parts of the can together and hold the dividing-partition in place to maintain both compartments air-tight.

\Vith these objects in view the invention consists in certain novel features of construc tion and combinations and arrangements of parts, as hereinafter set forth, and pointed out in the claims.

In the accompanying drawings, Figure l is a longitudinal sectional view of a can embodying my invention. Fig. 2 is a view showing the parts separated. Fig. 3 is a sectional view of a can having three compartments.

1 2 represent the two parts of the can, each of which is stamped up or drawn from a single piece of suitable metal to form two shells. The shell or member 1 of the can is bent outwardly at its upper edge to form a shoulder 3, and at the outer edge of this shoulder an annular flange 4 is formed. The shell or mem- Serial No. 177.767- tNo modem ber 2 of the can is made at its edge with an outwardly-projecting flange 5, adapted to enter within the flange a of the member 1. A sheet-metal partition 6 rests upon the shoulder 3 of member 1 of the can, and upon this partition in proximity to its periphery the outwardly-projecting flange 5 of the member 2 rests. The two members of the can being thus assembled with the partition 6 between them. the flange 4 of member 1 is bent over upon the flange 5 of the member 2, and molten solder is then poured upon the seam and made to fill any minute passages through which air might enter, some of the solder entering the seam as far as the edge of the partition 6 and serving to close both compartments perfectly air-tight.

The ends of the can are made with holes 7 for the respective compartments, through which said compartments can be filled. A flange 8 projects outwardly fromthe edge of each hole 7, and over each hole a cap 9 is placed, said cap having a groove 9' for the reception of the flange 8. When the cap shall have been placed in position, it Will be secured in place and made to tightly clamp the flange 8 by means of a suitable tool.

If the can is to be used for storing solid material, such as meat, the holes 7 can be omitted and the material placed in the respective compartments before the members of the can are assembled.

Instead of making the can with two compartments it may be made with any desired number, and when made of more than two it will be constructed as shown in Fig. 3, in which the intermediate compartment (or compartments) 10 consists of an annular band of sheet metal flanged at one end to receive the member 2 and having a flange at the other end to enter the member 1, the two joints being made in precisely the same manner as herein before described. \V hen the can is to contain liquid, the intermediate compartment will be provided with a hole 11, closed by an airtight cap constructed as before described.

A can constructed as shown in Figs. 1 and 2 is perfectly air-tight. Each member can be made of a single piece of metal, and the parts can be qulckly secured together with the partition between them to produce an air-tight receptacle having two compartments and a single seam. Such cans are very desirable for putting up condensed milk and other materials which are usually packed in small quantities because of their liability to spoil after having become exposed to the air. densed milk is usually put up in half-pint cans, this amount being considered as much as can ordinarily be consumed in domestic use without liability of becoming spoiled. With a can constructed as herein described a pint of condensed milk can be put up in a single can, and one half of it can be used without disturbing the other half, which latter will be kept perfectly air-tight. This results not only in great convenience to the consumer, but in a great saving in expense to the packer, because he can construct the can herein described and pack it much cheaper than he can construct and pack two cans. He is therefore enabled to sell a pint can of milk at a lower rate than two half-pint cans, and thus the consumer is again benefited.

If desired, a pint and a half can be put up in the can shown in Fig. 3 and can be used a half-pint at a time, or, if desired, a quart or any desired quantity of goods can be stored in quantities of half-pint each by increasing the number of compartments.

My improved can is also quite useful in packing paints. For instance, paints of different colors can be stored in the same can. A paint can be placed in one compartment and turpentine in the other or paint in one compartment and oil in the other, or with a three-compartment can paint, oil, and drier can be put up in the proper proportions ready to be mixed by the user.

My improvements are simple in construction, cheap to manufacture, and result in econ- Conomy to the consumer as well as to the manufacturer and packer.

Having fully described my invention, what I claim as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is

1. A can comprising a series of sheet-metal shells having interlocking meeting edges permanently securing said shells together, each shell having a filling-opening, caps closing said filling-openings and means held in position by the interlocking members, forming a series of independent, isolated compartments in the can.

2. A can comprising two sheet-metal members, each having a filling-opening, an external cap closing each filling-opening, said members having interlocking meeting edges permanently securing said members together and a rigid partition separating said members and forming two isolated compartments, said partition held permanently in place by the interlocking edges of said members.

3. A can comprising two sheet-metal members, each having a filling-opening, an external cap for each opening, an outwardly-projecting flange at the free edge of each member, a rigid disk disposed between said outwardly-projecting flanges and separating the members into isolated compartments, and a forwardly-projecting flange at the outer edge of, the outwardly-projecting flange of one member and embracing the outwardly-pro jecting flange of the other member and the peripheral portion of said disk.

In testimony whereof I have signed this specification in the presence of two subscribing witnesses.

GEORGE (J. WITT. Witnesses:

EARL F. RYBoL, CHARLES GoosMANN. 

